An immigrant restaurant owner in New York City was mocked for her foreign accent by a cruel customer who told her to “speak good English” in a viral video.
The owner of Mamali NYC, Mariam, who is from the country of Georgia, posted the bizarre and unwarranted interaction on the restaurant’s TikTok last week, showing the rude customer upset that he was having trouble understanding her saying the word “bowl.”
Mariam, 25, explains clearly — in English — to the short-fused male customer that she’s an immigrant from Georgia and that her English may not be perfect as she works with him to place his order.
I was a law student from Georgia, and maybe I still have an accent, or don’t know the meaning of every word yet — but I’m learning. Learning is the most important process in life, and in that process we should help each other. Life was tough, but now I own a little café in New York. People will always laugh at your dreams, But they usually don’t have dreams, or the strength to chase them. Dont stop #internationalstudent #cafeowner #dontstop #accentchallenge #chaseyourdreams @mamush
However, the unidentified customer, seemingly looking to pick an argument, refuses to accept her “excuse” for why he can’t understand her.
“You’re working in America, so you should speak good English. That’s not an excuse,” he boldly proclaimed.
The customer — whose face was not shown on camera — then asks Mariam how long she has been living in the US, to which she replies four years.
“Four years, and you didn’t think to learn better English?” the ill-mannered man rudely questions her.
He then became so upset with the 25-year-old foreign entrepreneur that he demanded to speak to another “owner” who speaks “better English.”
Mariam explains to him that she’s the owner, which only infuriates the customer further.
“Well, I don’t understand what you’re saying, so I’m going to leave you to it,” he impolitely replied in a raised tone of voice. “Maybe next time you can learn better English.”
She then asks him why he’s screaming.
“I’m not screaming at you!” He replies, telling her he’s getting upset that her accent is “wasting” his time.
“Is it ‘bowl’ or is it ‘bone?’ Are you serving me a bone?” he asks her in a condescending tone.
After mocking Mariam further, he tells her to have a “wonderful day” and once more to “go learn some English.”
The young restaurant owner wrote in the caption of the viral TikTok video — which has garnered over 3.5 million views since last week — that she may still have “an accent” and might not know the meaning of “every word,” but she’s actively trying to learn.
The audacity of the customer to criticize her accent infuriated commenters.
“Your English is perfect! Just remember, he only speaks ONE language,” one user wrote.
“Your English is better than 60% of American born English speakers,” another commenter wrote.
“Him saying ‘you should speak good English’ isn’t even proper English,” wrote another.
“In New York City, for anybody to disparage someone with an accent is so not New York,” commented another.
Following the flurry of supportive and positive comments from viewers, Mariam recorded another video thanking them for their support.
“A few days ago, a stranger guy mocked me because of my accent. Days later, countless strangers from all over the world show me love, support,” she said, fighting back tears.
“I’m so happy because of you guys. I’m so thankful for all of you guys. Who cares about the guy anymore.”
The 25-year-old went on to say that while the experience upset her, looking back, she’s grateful it happened because it led her to interact with so many supportive people, who not only wrote kind words but also flooded her restaurant with business.
Mariam came to the US from Georgia to study, but after falling in love with New York City, she used the money she had planned to spend on her education to open Mamali NYC in the West Village, according to the restaurant’s website.
Her restaurant offers blends of Georgian comfort food with solid Australian coffee and inventive cocktails.
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